1. Field
Embodiments of the invention in this disclosure relate to a digital signal protocol and process for communicating or transferring signals between a host device and a client device at high data rates. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a technique for transferring multimedia and other types of digital signals from a host or controller device to a client device for presentation or display to an end user using a low power high data rate transfer mechanism having internal and external device applications.
2. Background
Computers, electronic game related products, and various video technologies (for example DVD's and High Definition VCRs) have advanced significantly over the last few years to provide for presentation of increasingly higher resolution still, video, video-on-demand, and graphics images, even when including some types of text, to end users of such equipment. These advances in turn mandated the use of higher resolution electronic viewing devices such as high definition video monitors, HDTV monitors, or specialized image projection elements. Combining such visual images with high-definition or -quality audio data, such as when using CD type sound reproduction, DVDs, surround-sound, and other devices also having associated audio signal outputs, is used to create a more realistic, content rich, or true multimedia experience for an end user. In addition, highly mobile, high quality sound systems and music transport mechanisms, such as MP3 players, have been developed for audio only presentations to end users. This has resulted in increased expectations for typical users of commercial electronics devices, from computers to televisions and even telephones, now being accustomed to and expecting high or premium quality output.
In a typical video presentation scenario, involving an electronics product, video data is typically transferred using current techniques at a rate that could be best termed as slow or medium, being on the order of one to tens of kilobits per second. This data is then either buffered or stored in transient or longer-term memory devices, for delayed (later) play out on a desired viewing device. For example, images may be transferred “across” or using the Internet using a program resident on a computer having a modem or other type of Internet connection device, to receive or transmit data useful in digitally representing an image. A similar transfer can take place using wireless devices such as portable computers equipped with wireless modems, or wireless Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), or wireless telephones.
Once received, the data is stored locally in memory elements, circuits, or devices, such as RAM or flash memory, including internal or external storage devices such as small size hard drives, for playback. Depending on the amount of data and the image resolution, the playback might begin relatively quickly, or be presented with longer-term delay. That is, in some instances, image presentation allows for a certain degree of real time playback for very small or low resolution images not requiring much data, or using some type of buffering, so that after a small delay, some material is presented while more material is being transferred. Provided there are no interruptions in the transfer link, or interference from other systems or users relative to the transfer channel being used, once the presentation begins the transfer is reasonably transparent to the end user of the viewing device. Naturally, where multiple users share a single communication path, such as a wired Internet connection, transfers can be interrupted or slower than desired.
The data used to create either still images or motion video are often compressed using one of several well known techniques such as those specified by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG), and other well known standards organizations or companies in the media, computer, and communications industries to speed the transfer of data over a communication link. This allows transferring images or data faster by using a smaller number of bits to transfer a given amount of information.
Once the data is transferred to a “local” device such as a computer having a storage mechanism such as memory, or magnetic or optical storage elements, or to other recipient devices, the resulting information is un-compressed (or played using special decoding players), and decoded if needed, and prepared for appropriate presentation based on the corresponding available presentation resolution and control elements. For example, a typical computer video resolution in terms of a screen resolution of X by Y pixels typically ranges from as low as 480×640 pixels, through 600×800 to 1024×1024, although a variety of other resolutions are generally possible, either as desired or needed.
Image presentation is also affected by the image content and the ability of given video controllers to manipulate the image in terms of certain predefined color levels or color depth (bits per pixel used to generate colors) and intensities, and any additional overhead bits being employed. For example, a typical computer presentation would anticipate anywhere from around 8 to 32, or more, bits per pixel to represent various colors (shades and hues), although other values are encountered.
From the above values, one can see that a given screen image is going to require the transfer of anywhere from 2.45 Megabits (Mb) to around 33.55 Mb of data over the range from the lowest to highest typical resolutions and depth, respectively. When viewing video or motion type images at a rate of 30 frames per second, the amount of data required is around 73.7 to 1,006 Megabits of data per second (Mbps), or around 9.21 to 125.75 Megabytes per second (MBps). In addition, one may desire to present audio data in conjunction with images, such as for a multimedia presentation, or as a separate high resolution audio presentation, such as CD quality music. Additional signals dealing with interactive commands, controls, or signals may also be employed. Each of these options adding even more data to be transferred. Furthermore, newer transmission techniques involving High Definition (HD) television and movie recordings may add even more data and control information. In any case, when one desires to transfer high quality or high resolution image data and high quality audio information or data signals to an end user to create a content rich experience, a high data transfer rate link is required between presentation elements and the source or host device that is configured to provide such types of data.
Data rates of around 115 Kilobytes (KBps) or 920 Kilobits per second (Kbps) can be routinely handled by some modern serial interfaces. Other interfaces such as USB serial interfaces, can accommodate data transfers at rates as high as 12 MBps, and specialized high speed transfers such as those configured using the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 standard, can occur at rates on the order of 100 to 400 MBps. Unfortunately, these rates fall short of the desired high data rates discussed above which are contemplated for use with future wireless data devices and other services for providing high resolution, content rich, output signals for driving portable video displays or audio devices. This includes computers for business and other presentations, gaming devices, and so forth. In addition, these interfaces require the use of a significant amount of host or system and client software to operate. Their software protocol stacks also create an undesirably large amount of overhead, especially where mobile wireless devices or telephone applications are contemplated. Such devices have severe memory and power consumption limitations, as well as already taxed computational capacity. Furthermore, some of these interfaces utilize bulky cables which are too heavy and unsatisfactory for highly aesthetic oriented mobile applications, complex connectors which add cost, or simply consume too much power.
There are other known interfaces such as the Analog Video Graphics Adapter (AVGA), Digital Video Interactive (DVI) or Gigabit Video Interface (GVIF) interfaces. The first two of these are parallel type interfaces which process data at higher transfer rates, but also employ heavy cables and consume large amounts of power, on the order of several watts. Neither of these characteristics are amenable to use with portable consumer electronic devices. Even the third interface consumes too much power and uses expensive or bulky connectors.
For some of the above interfaces, and other very high rate data systems/protocols or transfer mechanisms associated with data transfers for fixed installation computer equipment, there is another major drawback. To accommodate the desired data transfer rates also requires substantial amounts of power and/or operation at high current levels. This greatly reduces the usefulness of such techniques for highly mobile consumer oriented products.
Generally, to accommodate such data transfer rates using alternatives such as say optical fiber type connections and transfer elements, also requires a number of additional converters and elements that introduce much more complexity and cost, than desired for a truly commercial consumer oriented product. Aside from the generally expensive nature of optical systems as yet, their power requirements and complexity prevents general use for lightweight, low power, portable applications.
What has been lacking in the industry for portable, wireless, or mobile applications, is a technique to provide a high quality presentation experience, whether it be audio, video, or multimedia based, for highly mobile end users. That is, when using portable computers, wireless phones, PDAs, or other highly mobile communication devices or equipment, the current video and audio presentation systems or devices being used simply cannot deliver output at the desired high quality level. Often, the perceived quality that is lacking is the result of unobtainable high data rates needed to transfer the high quality presentation data. This can include both transfer to more efficient, advanced or feature laden external devices for presentation to an end user, or transfer between hosts and clients internal to portable devices such as computers, gaming machines, and wireless devices such as mobile telephones.
In this latter case, there have been great strides made in adding higher and higher resolution internal video screens, and other specialty input and/or output devices and connections to wireless devices like so called third generation telephones, and to so called laptop computers. However, internal data busses and connections which may include bridging across rotating or sliding hinge or hinge-like structures which mount or connect video screens or other elements to the main housing where the host and/or various other control elements and output components reside. These are generally high-bandwidth or high throughput interfaces. It is very difficult to construct high throughput data transfers interfaces using prior techniques which can require up to 90 conductors, or more, to achieve the desired throughput, on say a wireless telephone, as one example. Current solutions typically involve employing parallel type interfaces with relatively high signal levels which can cause the interconnection to be more costly, less reliable and potentially generate radiated emissions which could interfere with device functions. This presents many manufacturing, cost, and reliability challenging issues to overcome.
Such issues and requirements are also being seen on fixed location installations where communication or computing type devices, as one example, are added to appliances and other consumer devices to provide advanced data capabilities, Internet and data transfer connections, or built in entertainment. Another example would be airplanes and busses where individual video and audio presentation screen are mounted in seat-backs. However, in these situations it is often more convenient, efficient, and easily serviceable to have the main storage, processing, or communication control elements located a distance from visible screens or audio outputs with an interconnecting link or channel for the presentation of information. This link will need to handle a significant amount of data to achieve the desired throughput, as discussed above.
Therefore, a new transfer mechanism is needed to increase data throughput between host devices providing the data and client display devices or elements presenting an output to end users.
Applicants have proposed such new transfer mechanisms in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/020,520 filed Dec. 14, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,760,772, issued Jul. 6, 2004 to Zou et al., and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/236,657 filed Sep. 6, 2002, both entitled “Generating And Implementing A Communication Protocol And Interface For High Data Rate Signal Transfer,” now allowed, which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference. Also, U.S. application Ser. No. 10/860,116 filed on Jun. 2, 2004, entitled “Generating and Implementing a Signal Protocol and Interface for Higher Data Rates.” The techniques discussed in those applications can greatly improve the transfer rate for large quantities of data in high speed data signals. However, the demands for ever increasing data rates, especially as related to video presentations, continue to grow. Even with other ongoing developments in data signal technology, there is still a need to strive for even faster transfer rates, improved communication link efficiencies, and more powerful communication links. Therefore, there is a continuing need to develop a new or improved transfer mechanism which is needed to increase data throughput between host and client devices.